Monopoly Showcases Aussie Towns on New Game Board

Sydney's Lord Mayor Clover Moore (L) and Mr Monopoly on June 8, 2012. William West/GettyImages

Monopoly will now feature the Blue Mountains, Bundaberg, Broken Hill and 19 other Aussie locales in their new special edition which is set to raise relief funds for those impacted by bushfires, flood and the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus (novel coronavirus).

Released on Nov. 25, the community relief version of the board game shines a light on towns that have done it tough in 2020, and highlights the community spirit and strength of the locations.

“We wanted to provide Australians with something positive in the challenging year that is 2020,” said Charlotte Waalkens from Winning Moves Australia, the game’s maker.

“The communities chosen have all gone through a tough time for one reason or another, as everyone has. We thought they deserved something special to remind everyone how incredible they are,” Waalkens said.

The locations chosen include:

• Batemans Bay and Broken Hill, Queanbeyan from New South Wales
• Bundaberg, and Noosa from Queensland
• Mildura and Gippsland from Victoria
• Mount Gambier and Port Augusta from South Australia
• Kalgoorlie, Busselton, and Karratha from Western Australia
• Katherine and Tennant Creek from the Northern Territory
• Port Arther and Devonport from Tasmania
• Belconnen from the Australian Capital Territory

“Choosing which locations to put on the board was unbelievably difficult,” Waalkens said. “We wanted to showcase places above and beyond the usual cities or hotspots.”

Mayor Darriea Turley of Broken Hill said in a media release that the special edition is a great exposure for the far west NSW town.

“A picture of our iconic Living Desert sculptures takes pride of place right in the middle of the board,” Turley said.

“Broken Hill basically has been in drought since the early 2000s. People will remember the great dust storms coming through our town,” Turley said.

Waalkens hopes it will bring a bit of joy to Australian families as Christmas approaches.

“We feel that the Australian Community Relief Monopoly board and puzzle shine a positive light on regions that otherwise may not normally receive such exposure. We hope it will also bring a bit of much-needed joy to Australian families over the holidays.”